1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to simplifying a manufacturing method and improving the accuracy of manufacturing an actuator that moves a fiber of a scanning endoscope.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,294,775 discloses a scanning endoscope, which photographs and/or films an optical image of an observation area by scanning the observation area with light shined on a minute point in the area and successively capturing reflected light at the illuminated points. In a general scanning endoscope, light for illumination is transmitted through an optical fiber from a stationary incident end to a movable emission end and a scanning operation is carried out by successively moving the emission end of the optical fiber.
The structure of the emission end of an optical fiber in a general scanning endoscope is explained using FIG. 26. As shown in FIG. 26, the actuator 54′ is mounted near an emission end of an illumination fiber 53′. The fiber actuator 54′ comprises a bending block 54′b and a support block 54′s. 
The bending block 54′b is shaped cylindrically. The illumination fiber 53′ is inserted through the cylindrical bending block 54′b. The illumination fiber 53′ is supported at the forward end of the bending block 54′b by the supporting block 54's.
The supporting block 54′s is shaped as a right circular cone so that the angle between a generatrix line and the base is 45 degrees. By shaping the supporting block 54′s in this manner, the illumination fiber 53′ can be repeatedly bent without breaking by a bending motion of the bending block 54′b that is transmitted through the supporting block 54′s. 
In order to form the supporting block 54′s in the above-mentioned shape, when the illumination fiber 53′ is inserted through the bending block 54′b, an adhesive is applied to the forward end of the bending block 54′b, and before it solidifies an operator transforms the adhesive to a right circular cone by vibrating the illumination fiber 53′ along the axial direction of the bending block 54′b. The supporting block 54′s is formed by the transformed adhesive solidifying as such a shape.
In the above manufacturing method it is difficult to adjust the length of the illumination fiber 53′ that protrudes from the bending block 54′b. It is also difficult to accurately shape the supporting block 54′s in the form of a right circular cone by the above-manufacturing method. As a result, increasing the yield of manufactured parts within required tolerance levels is difficult.